


On Baby

by Squeevening



Series: You Feel Like Coming Home [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:55:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squeevening/pseuds/Squeevening
Summary: This is a timestamp for You Feel Like Coming Home, but you needn't have read that to read this.Dean decides it's time to invite *that* Castiel out to the desert.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: You Feel Like Coming Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506575
Comments: 26
Kudos: 52





	On Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas guys. :-) I've missed you. Book two is at 40k and I am working diligently, I promise.

Castiel shook his head to clear it, pushed away the endless swirling thoughts about what to do and how to do it, and emptied his mind, closing his eyes to listen to Baby’s tires  eating up the miles, Dean’s slow breathing beside him. He opened his eyes slowly to stare at the road, to watch the yellow lines steadily stretching out ahead of Baby’s headlights, changing slightly in pattern and location until the optical illusion seemed like they weren’t moving at all, it was the road moving underneath them, and he glanced at the sky instead before he got too motion sick, the rising moon ethereal and beautiful in the cloudless evening sky.

Dean blew out a breath beside him and Castiel turned to watch the side of Dean’s face, his eyes glowing seraphinite tonight in the rays of the setting sun, steadily staring into the middle distance, his fingers gently drumming on the wheel. They’d lost KSJO somewhere in the mountains near Sacramento as the air cooled, tasting crisp and fresh, redolent of pine and rain, and Dean had switched to Led Zeppelin cassettes for the long descent into Reno, where the air grew dry and stifling and tasted of humanity in all the worst ways. 

After the pizza and the stop to check in to the motel Jason had recommended in Reno, where Castiel was glad he had insisted on freshening up - the warm breeze buffeting through his open window to strip every trace of moisture from his damp hair felt pleasant and calming - Dean hadn’t turned on any music, rolling down his window and electing to drive with only the sound of the buffeting wind filling the cabin. That seemed unusual, but Dean was hearing music all the same, Castiel mused, watching Dean’s head nod and his lips mouth words to the soundtrack in his mind.

Castiel crossed the distance between them with gentle fingers, caressing the back of his hand along the angles of Dean’s jaw, tickling along the stubble coming in there, Dean’s eyelids languidly blinking in slow motion as his lips parted and his fingers stilled their drumming, his breath heavy when he blew it out, shuddering a little as he drew in another without speaking.

Castiel was loathe to break the spell of the comfortable silence that had stretched between them for over an hour now, but his hand trailed lightly down Dean’s shoulder, slipped under his arm to come to rest gently, palm up, on Dean’s knee, and Dean’s breath blew out slowly as he nodded, disengaged a hand from Baby’s steering wheel to grasp Castiel’s offered hand, warm and dry and shooting sparks up Dean’s arm like the sparklers he used to ration for Sammy to play with, doling them out for weeks after the fourth of July had come and gone, through his slightly clammy palm. 

Dean concentrated on the road and tried not to let the sparks radiating up his arm be his focus, tried instead to let the warmth of Castiel’s hand against his give him comfort. He knew where he was heading, that was no problem; he’d remembered it from last year’s trip out from Bobby’s when he and Sam had needed a secluded,  _ free _ place to catch a few hours of sleep. They’d found it by happy accident, a wildlife management area, out of sight of the highway and closed after dusk by way of a stern sign saying so, but no rope or chain or guard. Should be plenty of privacy for -  _ and there it was.  _ The nerves he’d spent the better part of an hour humming Metallica under his breath to calm, back in full force, his pulse quickening again but this time Castiel could feel it, Dean was sure of it, the breath he was holding shuddering out as Castiel’s thumb caressed the back of his hand gently, Castiel’s full attention caressing his face, heavy and pleasant.

“If you don’t want to do this anymore it’s perfectly alright to change your mind, Dean, but please tell me soon,” Castiel murmured, breaking the spell at last, and Dean startled out of his spiral, his glance sliding speculatively to Castiel’s face for what almost felt like too long to be safe before he turned back to the road, a quirk to his lips now.

“I want to, Cas.  _ Castiel, _ ” Dean corrected himself quietly, eyes still facing forward, “I do. More than anything. I’m just - I’m nervous, I guess.”

_ “Way more than I thought I would be, _ ” Dean muttered under his breath, and Castiel squeezed his hand gently.

“I’m nervous too.”

That was unexpected, and Dean turned from the road to look at Castiel’s face in surprise, Castiel’s features almost all in shadow, his profile so hauntingly gorgeous it hurt Dean’s chest, staring out at the road ahead now as though it held untold mysteries instead of endless yellow lines and tumbleweed.

Dean’s eyes flicked back to the road only out of necessity, and he slipped his hand out of Castiel’s grip to wipe his palm on his jeans and run his hand through his hair distractedly, before returning to intertwine slightly less clammy fingers between Castiel’s, the sparks between them still bright and hot.

“You seem surprised.” Castiel’s tone was mild, almost amused.

“Well, yeah.  _ That  _ Castiel seems pretty together and not, like, prone to self-doubt, Cas. Castiel?” 

Dean wasn’t sure now, and Castiel turned to smile at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Just Cas at the moment, I think. And just as a point of interest, Dean,  _ that  _ Castiel has never been with anyone quite like this.” 

Castiel hesitated at Dean’s slow smirk, searching for better words, since the ones he’d used clearly weren’t conveying what he wanted them to.

“I  _ mean _ , he’s only ever been with you, and you and I haven’t done anything like... this, yet. It feels important, and I don’t want him to screw it up - _ what? _ ”

Dean was staring at Castiel in shock, and he tore his eyes away from Castiel with difficulty, abruptly pulling his hand out of Castiel’s grip, both hands on the wheel to careen Baby onto the meager shoulder, a spray of gravel showering the scrub as she slid to a stop, so he could gape at Castiel in at least vehicular safety.

“What is it, Dean?” 

Castiel actually seemed self-conscious, and Dean slammed his mouth shut to try to maybe look less surprised as he found his voice, huskier than he meant it to be when he asked his breathless question.

“You’ve -  _ he’s  _ never - how is that  _ possible,  _ Cas? You said you understood the - the ‘trust’.”

Castiel shrugged, his face unguarded and earnest as he met Dean’s eyes. 

“Yes, but always from my knees, Dean. You woke something in me that I had no idea I was capable of. I’ve never explored this side of myself with anyone before. No one ever offered me control, and besides, I was a child; I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. I wouldn’t have  _ wanted  _ it, Dean, not from anyone but you.  _ The way you make me feel… _ ” 

Castiel’s breath caught as his eyes fell from Dean’s eyes to Dean’s mouth, the gentle glow of the dashboard lights reflecting from their depths flickering and changing as his head tilted, watching Dean’s lips part and his tongue dart out to moisten them. 

When Castiel reached for him Dean melted, pliant and more than willing as Castiel flowed across the bench seat, almost climbing into Dean’s lap with his urgency, to take possession of Dean’s lips and tongue and panting breath, his erection jabbing sharply against Dean’s thigh. Dean moaned and gasped and yielded to his kiss eagerly, desperately, finally groaning in protest enough that Castiel pulled up from practically fucking Dean’s throat with his tongue to growl, “What?”

“We’re really close,  _ Castiel.  _ Let me drive you there,  _ Sir,  _ and then you can do anything you want to me.”

Castiel hissed out a breath between his teeth, his impatience palpable.

“How far?”

“Ten minutes,  _ Sir.  _ Maybe fifteen.  _ Please _ , I want to give you this.  _ Me.  _ There.”

Castiel hesitated, his lips curling up in almost a snarl as he studied Dean’s mouth, but headlights happened to come up behind them just then as if to back up Dean’s argument, slowing to swerve around Baby’s ass end, halfway in the road, and Castiel huffed out a frustrated breath, restrained himself with visible effort, sitting up straight without sliding away from Dean, their thighs pressed together from ass to knee, his hand adjusting himself in his jeans.

“Drive.”

Dean nodded, eyes wide, looking left to signal and peel out into the lane with the urgency this deserved, fidgeting uncomfortably in his jeans and trying to adjust himself to be less constricted, self-conscious with Castiel keenly watching him.

“Let me help.”

Castiel’s hands were already on Dean’s zipper, nimble fingers unbuckling his belt and slipping over the silk boxers he’d worn for Castiel, the ones that had become his punishment in the Billiards room, and Dean gasped as Castiel’s fingers caressed along his cock through the fabric, sliding gently along his length, sparks trailing in their wake.

“You wore these for me?” 

Castiel’s voice was husky, a note of wonder underneath the  _ want  _ Dean could hear in it,  _ feel _ radiating from Castiel in slow waves like an oil slick, and Dean nodded, gulping, not trusting his voice to speak as he stared at the road, willing it to pass underneath Baby’s tires  _ faster. _

They rode in silence for several minutes, at first the only sound Castiel’s ragged breathing and the whisper quiet rustle of Castiel’s fingers, slowly sliding up and down over silk.

After a couple miles Dean’s pretense at composure cracked, his lips parting and his breath heaving over his tongue as Castiel’s slow caresses became his entire world, the road a distant, trifling detail, his entire focus on the maddening stroke of Castiel’s fingers, their loss galling, his moan of bereft dismay pulling a smug smile to Castiel’s lips as he finished zipping and buttoning and buckling Dean in seconds flat, to return his hands demurely to his own lap, his voice amused when he explained himself.

“I’m distracting you too much, and I have no desire to die tonight, Dean.”

Dean nodded guiltily, sucking in a huge breath that almost but not quite covered the sound of another zipper sliding down, and Dean startled, glancing sideways to find Castiel watching him calmly, his own cock in his hand now.

“Eyes on the road, please, Dean.”

Dean obeyed immediately, listening now for any clue whatsoever as to what Castiel might be -  _ the gentle slip of a hand over velvet smooth flesh, a strangled groan, then silence. _

Dean strained his ears desperately, but heard nothing for several tantalizing moments, the heat of Castiel’s thigh burning against his a special torture, then the rustle of fabric and a zipper sliding closed again, Castiel’s voice a labored growl when he spoke, what felt like an eternity later.

“I find I am too aroused even to tease you, Dean. How far now?”

Dean checked his odometer, squinting into the twilight, imagining he could see the road sign in the distance.

“I swear it was right here -  _ there.  _ Half a mile to the turn off, _ Sir. _ ”

Castiel nodded tersely, his hands gripping his knees, and Dean could  _ feel  _ his tension,  _ feel  _ how much Castiel needed him  _ right the fuck now.  _ Dean groaned quietly, his body vibrating with answering tension, the nerves just… eagerness, now, as he floored it, barely giving Baby her head before he had to rein her in again to make the turn, the slow dirt roads torture now, every turn that wasn’t  _ the  _ turn a disappointment, until he finally passed the warning sign and pulled into the tiny, thankfully deserted parking circle and pulled Baby to a stop, shifting her into park and twisting her key, the nerves making his hands shake and a rising adrenaline pounding in his blood - 

“ _ Dean. Get out of the car.” _

Dean fell over himself to obey, practically falling out of the driver’s side door in his haste to join Castiel where he was standing, dumbstruck, staring up into the desert sky.

It was gorgeous, jagged rocky outcroppings soaring skywards behind them, red scrub brush and sand stretching out ahead of them as far as the eye could see, the last of the dying sun still painting the edge of the sky orange and pink over the mountains on the horizon. The vast heavens sprawled into infinity above them, the stars starting to peek out already so much brighter than the ones they’d been staring at from Castiel’s stone bench and tiny sliver of sky. 

Dean slipped his hand into Castiel’s to stare at it with him, smiling as the cricket near his foot resumed its argument with its neighbor down the lane, sucking in a huge lungful of sagebrush and dust and  _ clean,  _ no taste of humanity anywhere on the warm breeze stripping the moisture from Dean’s nostrils with every breath.

There were tears glittering in Castiel’s eyes when he turned, finally, to stare into the sunset reflecting in Dean’s eyes.

“I love it,” Castiel whispered, “And I love  _ you _ , Dean.” 

Castiel lifted his lips to catch Dean’s soft moan, the press of his lips soft for a single, perfect, shimmering moment, time slowing to a crawl as Castiel reached in slow motion to cradle Dean’s face in his hands, Dean’s eyelashes fluttering in pleasure as he kissed his answer, before time came crashing down around their shoulders, Castiel’s breath huffing out in a low, desperate growl, and he was shoving Dean against the car, his tongue already down Dean’s throat and his erection grinding against Dean’s hip.

Dean dared to grind against Castiel in return, his breath rasping out in gasps into Castiel’s mouth, until Castiel lifted his lips to slide them down Dean’s neck, to sink his teeth into the column of his neck where a collar would definitely _ not  _ hide, licking and sucking as Dean gasped and arched into him, his lips traveling to Dean’s earlobe now to nibble and then whisper over the moistened flesh there, every hair on Dean’s body standing on end, “Did you use the toy every time you masturbated this week, as I instructed Sunday night?”

Dean gasped, his cheeks instantly flushing even as he nodded, his body rippling with chills under Castiel’s scrutiny.

“ _ Yes, Sir. _ ”

“ _ Good boy. _ ”

Dean’s body flushed with arousal as Castiel’s approval wrapped around him, warm and soft and - 

“And did you fantasize about tonight as I asked you to?”

Dean’s eyes fluttered shut in mortification but he forced them open again as fast as he could to meet Castiel’s waiting gaze, his mouth dry.

“ _ I tried, Sir… _ ”

“But?”

Dean’s gaze was steady now, his voice half an octave lower than usual as he spoke, watching Castiel’s face intently as he answered.

“ _ But, _ every time I got close to coming all I could think about was you  _ almost  _ fucking me over that pool table,  _ Sir.” _

Castiel’s eyes widened as he stared at Dean for a moment, leaning back a little from where he had Dean pinned against the car so he could look him full in the face, incidentally shoving his erection against Dean’s pubic bone, a slow smile stretching across his face in answer to Dean’s smirk.

“May I ask a question, Sir?”

“Of course, Dean.”

“Have _ you _ been thinking about tonight when you… y’know?”

“I have thought of nothing else since you suggested we take a drive out to the desert, Dean.” 

Castiel’s hands slid down Dean’s sides to cup Dean’s ass, his hips smoothly repositioning to slooowly grind his erection against Dean’s through their jeans, Dean’s eyelashes fluttering in pleasure as he stared at Castiel, waiting. 

“I had to go for a run every night this week instead of hitting the gym, Dean - in addition to the runs I regrettably had to take over my lunch breaks instead of having lunch with you. I couldn’t masturbate enough to ease my tension. I tried to stop - I  _ tried _ to save something for you yesterday - but I couldn’t control myself. Not that any of it helped." 

Castiel chuckled ruefully, his stare looking past Dean now, into the recent past.

"This has been a  _ very _ trying week for me, Dean. Skipping our Wednesday rendezvous was torture, even knowing we were planning this instead.”

Castiel rolled his eyes as Dean’s spectacularly smug expression pulled his glance to the present, but Dean shook his head fondly, his eyes sparkling.

“I  _ like  _ how badly you need to fuck me, Sir. ”

Castiel groaned, rocking against Dean in slow pulses.

“I don’t even know where to  _ start _ ; I’ve been thinking about this so much I am at loose ends.“

Castiel stared at Dean helplessly, gasping a little as Dean answered his slow thrusts with matching undulations of his own.

“May I make a suggestion, Sir?”

Dean’s eyes were crinkled at the corners, despite his completely straight face, and Castiel studied him carefully, his eyes languidly closing in slow motion, to reopen halfway and stay there, fixed on Dean’s mouth now.

“I’m listening.”

“I just think you’d have an easier time deciding,  _ Sir,  _ if I wasn’t wearing  _ alllll _ these clothes.” 

Castiel’s lip lifted in a near snarl as he abruptly disengaged from their embrace, stepping away from Dean to gesture impatiently with one hand, palm up.

“Show me.”

Dean’s breath caught at the look on Castiel’s face, and he nodded his obedience, starting with his tee shirt, crossing his arms to grip the hem and peel it up his body in smooth slow motion, Castiel’s breath hissing out a balm to Dean's very core as he shimmied out of soft cotton, dropped it on the ground, forgotten, as he bent double to untie his boot laces, every instinct warning him  _ not to kneel  _ until he was fully ready, his eyes casting around for the safest looking spot without any pebbles or plants -  _ right there _ . 

Dean slowly rose from fiddling with his bootlaces, stretching to his full height for a moment, savoring Castiel’s attention slipping across his shoulders and chest and arms and stomach, before reaching for his belt, prying off his boots with his feet as he unbuckled, toeing off his socks as he unzipped in slow motion, the evening breeze billowing his silk boxers a little around the sail his cock made of them as he stepped out of his jeans, his eyes fixed on Castiel’s face, Castiel’s lips parted and his entire body frozen in place, transfixed.

When he slid the silk down over his cock Dean groaned, and when he stepped out of them to stand in front of Castiel in all his glory Dean’s glance only flashed to the ground for a microsecond to find the spot he’d chosen before locking on Castiel’s face as he sank to his knees in the sand, his tongue darting out slowly to moisten his lips and his heart pounding in his ears.

The sound that tore out of Castiel’s throat sounded like nothing so much as an agonized cry of pain but Dean was ready, braced and surging forward to meet Castiel’s need as Castiel’s fingers fumbled with his belt and zipper and he stumbled forward, crying out as he shoved his cock roughly between Dean’s parted lips and buried it in Dean’s waiting throat, his hands barely in time to cradle the sides of Dean’s face before he was lost, gasping and shuddering his pleasure into Dean’s waiting embrace, more Cas than Castiel now in his abandon; Dean could feel  _ that  _ Castiel fighting to regain control even as he eagerly siphoned a tiny fraction of the tension from Castiel’s body with soft lips and gentle tongue and his entire heart, hammering in his ears.

“Thank you, Dean. You have given me the clarity I was lacking.”

Castiel’s voice was rough, a half-smile of amusement playing around his lips as he tucked his dick away, and Dean’s entire body vibrated with tension as he unconsciously rocked a little on his knees, his eyes glued to Castiel’s face the way  _ that  _ Castiel always demanded, waiting for the hammer to fall.

Castiel was stepping to the car now, to retrieve his black bag from the back seat, and Dean wasn’t sure he was meant to watch so he just waited for Castiel to step back into his eyeline, nervous, now, about what might be in that bag.

“I spent so  _ very  _ much time this week picturing you following my instructions,” Castiel purred, reaching into his bag, “that it would bring me a great deal of pleasure to see how closely my imagination came to the real thing.”

Castiel’s hands were busy, Dean’s eyes fixed on his face not daring to look, and it wasn’t until Castiel nodded to his hands that Dean dared glance down at the freshly condomed toy and bottle of lube Castiel was offering him, the toy a dead ringer for the one Cas had sent home with him with instructions… 

_ Oh my god. Here? *Now*?  _

Dean’s face turned fifty shades of scarlet and Castiel watched him keenly, admiring each new shade as it paraded across Dean’s face, and the way his eyelashes fluttered in abject mortification, paralyzed with embarrassment while his hands made no motion to accept the offered equipment. They stared at each other at an impasse for a moment before Castiel spoke again, his voice carefully neutral.

“This is not compulsory, Dean. If I’m asking too much shake your head no right now and we will do something else. If it helps inform your decision, I intended to reenact my own activity while picturing you following my instructions every night this week.”

Castiel’s voice was gentle, his face carefully blank when Dean managed to meet his eyes again, the request So. Incredibly. Embarrassing. But the tiny hint of disappointment around the set of Castiel’s lips - the ever so slightly resigned set of his jaw - gave Dean pause. Castiel was giving him an out, no harm no foul, but… 

_ He *wants* this. Not to embarass me. Because he’s jacked off thinking about this all week. _

_ Give your man a show. _

Dean squared his shoulders, sucking in a deep, shuddering breath as he lifted both hands to accept Castiel’s gifts, palms up.

“May I watch you while I, uh, do this, Sir?”

The flash of delighted  _ heat _ that crossed Castiel’s face before he steeled his features told Dean everything he needed to know, even before Castiel solemnly nodded his permission, glancing at the equipment and the ground and handing both items to Dean before reaching into his black bag again to lay a hand towel on the sand beside Dean and step back to park his ass against Baby, his attention as heavy as Dean had ever felt it as Castiel watched him set the toy down on the towel, deliberately flip the bottle cap open, squirt some lube into his palm and set the bottle down, gasping as he wrapped his hand around his cock, his head thrown back and his eyes fluttering shut for the moment, his dry hand trailing lightly across his chest to roll a nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

Castiel’s gasp fluttered Dean’s eyes open again and he met Castiel’s wild-eyed stare without shame, arching into his own downstroke and daring Castiel to join him with a slightly raised brow and a slow blink, Castiel’s eyes darkening in challenge as he knelt to wordlessly liberate some lube from the bottle for himself, stood to return to his insouciant position leaning against Baby, freeing his cock from cotton and denim and wrapping graceful fingers around his length, his eyebrow raising of its own accord.

Dean smirked, working his other nipple now, his favorite, this one just worked better; fuck it he was already miles hornier than he usually waited for, reaching for the toy now, lubing it with a week’s worth of practiced ease, dropping the bottle again to reach behind himself with one hand, meeting Castiel’s eyes almost defiantly as he fucked the toy slowly past that resistant ring of muscle, the feeling even more delicious now with Castiel watching him than it had been this whole guilty week in the shower, pleasure rippling over his skin watching Castel’s mouth fall open, just a little further,  _ there it is.  _

Dean gasped, his exclamation drawing a similar gasp from Castiel’s lips, Dean’s body hunching forward now, into the pleasure of his fist as he fucked himself slow, watching Castiel’s hand strip over the cock he’d pretended was fucking him every night -  _ fuck he’s so much bigger than this - FUCK I’m not going to last -  _

“Stop!”

Dean froze, his cock twitching, teetering on the tip of that precipice, holding his breath as he stared at Castiel’s face, stern and forbidding now. 

Dean dared let out his breath as his inevitability slowly ebbed, and he waited, frozen, as Castiel bent down to fiddle around in his bag, pulling out a crumpled plastic shopping bag and another, slightly bigger toy, which he condomed, lubed, and held out to Dean peremptorily in seconds flat.

“Give me that toy. Use this one now.”

Dean’s eyes practically bugged out of his head as he obeyed, waves of embarrassment washing over him as heat as he let his body reject the toy and held it out for Castiel without looking, his eyes fluttering shut as he heard Castiel uncondom the used toy with practiced efficiency, drop the refuse in the rustling trash bag, Dean’s eyes fluttering open in time to watch the toy disappearing somewhere into the recesses of the black bag, the new one clutched in Dean’s fist as Castiel returned to his former position, his gleaming cock back in his hand.

“Now, please.”

Dean nodded, gulping, stroking his slightly deflated erection a few times to get over his surprise, the heat returning  _ way  _ faster than he expected with Castiel watching him, waiting, Castiel’s eyes glued to Dean’s toy hand as he reached behind himself to try again, this toy taking a little more effort, a harder shove to get started, a slight wince and  _ Ohhh shit that’s gooood.  _

Dean’s eyes widened as he watched the  _ heat _ flow across Castiel’s face and watched Castiel’s frustratingly motionless hand  _ finally _ slide down over his cock, once, twice, freeze suddenly, then entirely let go; Dean could  _ see  _ his cock twitching dry -  _ Already? _

“You’re all I think about when I masturbate anymore, Dean, for longer than I care to admit,“ Castiel murmured, in answer to Dean’s astonishment. “Yes, I believe I might have inadvertently conditioned myself to climax somewhat expeditiously when I picture you and  _ this - “  _ Castiel shrugged helplessly, waving a hand to encompass Dean’s current situation. “ _ This  _ is so arousing it defies description.” 

The slow smile Dean’s pleased expression pulled to Castiel’s lips was absolutely gorgeous, and Dean savored it for a moment before returning to the matter at hand, groaning and arching his back to bear down onto the toy in his fist, to slowly stroke his cock  _ at  _ Castiel, fucking himself less to get off, now, than as weaponized heat, his eyes fixed on Castiel’s face in the rapidly dimming twilight instead of on his cock like before, watching Castiel watch him, groaning as he arched into his own fist and back onto the toy, his tension rising all the same as he gasped and shuddered,  _ just a little further now, slow down, make Castiel lose his *goddamn* mind -  _

_ “Stop!”  _

Castiel seemed to be commanding himself as much as he was speaking to Dean, both of them freezing simultaneously, Castiel’s breath ragged and panting. After a moment Castiel tucked his dick away, buttoning and zipping to Dean’s disappointed moan, but he didn’t take the time to buckle his belt, just knelt to reach into the bag again, Dean’s eyes flaring in surprise and a hint of alarm as Castiel pulled out the next size up, condomed it, held out his hand without speaking for Dean’s current toy.

Dean let out the breath he’d been holding in one long shuddering rush as he obeyed, extraction requiring a little tug this time, mortification creeping up his chest and neck as he couldn’t bring himself to look, watching Castiel’s face instead as he bent to his task, the new toy landing in Dean’s slippery hand without him glancing away from Castiel's face or letting go of his slick cock, watching Castiel’s lips as Castiel raised his eyes to Dean’s face to murmur -

“I'm going to fuck your face again, Dean, and I want you to copy whatever I do to your face with the toy in your ass. Will you do that for me?”

Dean’s eyes were twin moons almost as big as the one glowing in the sky above them now, but he nodded, gulping, his voice cracking as he whispered.

“ _ Yes, Sir _ .”

“Good. Start now.”

Castiel’s cock was somehow in his hand again when Dean hadn’t even seen Castiel move, pressing against his lips as he reflexively opened his mouth to receive him, confused that Castiel wasn’t pushing forward anymore than that, just waiting -  _ oh. _

Dean flushed absolutely furiously as he repositioned himself so he could follow Castiel’s command, and now Castiel was teasing his mouth a little, pressing forward and pulling away and Dean’s fingers shook a little as he copied Castiel’s movements, not enough to breach the ring of muscle, just enough to stretch a little and release, stretch and release,  _ fuck  _ that felt good, Castiel teasing him now, watching his face with his entire attention and knowing  _ damn well  _ when he wanted more, giving him two inches and pulling out halfway, three and then pulling out all the way to tease his cock against Dean’s lips, rocking on the balls of his feet and grinning like a wolf while Dean rocked the toy against himself, dazed with want, whimpering for more.

When Castiel roughly shoved his cock down Dean’s throat Dean automatically mirrored the action before he realized what he was doing, his cry muffled around Castiel’s cock, Castiel’s slow rocking maddening as Dean felt his orgasm tip closer, groaning a warning in case Castiel still didn’t want him to come yet and Castiel froze, his voice a whip crack.

“Stop! Take your hand off your cock!”

Dean obeyed instantly, moaning now as Castiel pulled out alllmost all the way and Dean reflexively mirrored him, his muffled groans rising in desperation as Castiel rocked in and out over his tongue and Dean obediently did the same with the thick toy impaling him, his slick hand twitching but obediently nowhere near his cock while Castiel watched him calmly, somehow completely in control now, whereas before he could barely touch himself without almost blowing his load, Dean’s mind helpfully observed.

“Stop.”

Dean froze, the toy teasing now, halfway in but nowhere near that sweet spot,  _ if Castiel would just _ \- 

“Are you ready for my cock yet, Dean?”

Castiel’s delivery was casual, his tone conversational as he pulled his cock out of Dean’s mouth and into his slick fist instead, and Dean’s mouth fell open in surprise, staring up at Castiel, speechless. 

_ Wait, is that why - _

“I wasn’t changing toys on you just to embarrass you, Dean, that was just a  _ truly scrumptious _ side effect of my larger purpose.”

Dean snorted, despite his incredibly compromising position, and Castiel’s eyebrow raised in a question.

“That movie really fucked Sammy up when he was little,  _ Sir.  _ It was on TV one night and he had nightmares for  _ years _ about the kid catcher, he’d wake up screaming - “

Castiel’s face was completely blank, and Dean shook his head incredulously.

“That’s the chick’s name from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Old movie? Flying car? Creepy dude in a black top hat kidnapping children and putting them in a cage? _Ice cream..._ _Lol-lee-pops…_ ”

Castiel’s hand flew over his mouth, eyes wide.

“ _ I had nightmares for years - I never knew what they were from - “ _

Dean grinned up at Castiel’s shocked realization, and they stared at each other for a moment in shared horror before Castiel straightened his shoulders and returned to the matter at hand, pointedly raking his eyes over Dean’s form until Dean’s body rippled with chills from more than the cooling night air.

“Yes, well, regardless of our shared childhood trauma, I find my concerns at this moment are of a _fully_ _adult_ nature _._ My question stands. Are you ready for me Dean?”

Castiel fucked up into his hand, rocking on the balls of his feet, watching Dean kneel for him, Dean’s eyes wide now, his mouth slack as he stared up at Castiel’s face, his breath heaving over his tongue, his slick cock glistening in the vast universe of starlight, his hand gleaming beside it but  _ not  _ touching himself because it was forbidden, frozen in place fucking himself on silicone and latex because Castiel wanted him to, and Castiel’s eyes fluttered shut as he sucked in a long, slow breath, held it for seven, and blew it out for a count of eight, to slowly open them again and find Dean’s eyes, still glazed with lust, but holding a note of concern now as well.

Castiel stepped forward with his free hand reaching to caress the side of Dean’s face, Dean leaning into the touch with a soft moan, and Castiel shook his head in disbelief, his eyes sparkling, suddenly, more than just stars and moonlight could account for.

“Dean Winchester, I have never in my entire life imagined anything as gorgeous as this vision of you on your knees for me tonight. I keep thinking I will wake and this will have been a fever dream, but as I have not yet woken and you are still here, if your offer is still open, I would very much like to fuck you over your pretty car. Even if she doesn’t fly.”

Dean snorted, smiling up at Castiel, his fist still gripping the toy halfway up his ass, and his voice cracked as he answered.

“ _ Yes please, Sir. _ ”

“Please what?”

Castiel’s eyes were black now, stars reflecting from their depths as he rocked on his feet, fucking up into his hand slow, and Dean didn’t hesitate, tendrils of terror he might be  _ denied  _ curling around his stomach at Castiel’s challenge, Castiel’s tone the same as when they’d installed the water heater -

“ _ Please _ fuck me over my car, Castiel, I need your cock.  _ So. Bad _ , I keep thinking about the pool table but when I think about it it’s not the toy it’s your cock - and then I come - but it just makes me need you  _ more _ it doesn’t  _ work  _ the feeling doesn’t  _ go away -  _ * _ please* Castiel, I need you - “  _

Dean trailed off on almost a sob and Castiel knelt to catch him, to press his mouth to Dean’s lips and kiss him, his hand snaking behind Dean to gently replace Dean’s hand on the base of the toy with his own, to shove the toy inside him, hard, Dean’s sob for real now as Castiel licked the inside of his mouth and twisted the toy in lazy circles while Dean shuddered and moaned into his mouth, until Dean’s sounds were desperate, his lips and tongue begging for more; until Castiel slowly confiscated the toy and broke the kiss, leaving Dean moaning and cold and bereft on his knees for a few seconds to deal with the equipment and palm fresh supplies.

“Stand up, Dean.” 

Dean obeyed instantly, Castiel wiping his slick hand on his jeans to grip Dean’s shoulder to steady him, a nod towards the car as Dean looked up at the vast sky, stars swimming in his eyes, swaying unsteadily on his feet, Castiel’s body radiating heat as he stepped close to wrap Dean in his arms, to kiss him until he was breathless and moaning, to lead him to the side of the car and release him to stand on his own recognizance, waiting, while Dean slowly blinked, looking at the Impala and back at Castiel pleadingly.

“What is it, Dean?”

Dean’s face was shy, hopeful, and he stammered as he tried to answer, “Um, I - I th-thought - you w-were gonna - uh, c-can you - ?“ before falling silent, hunching into himself as Castiel’s head tilted curiously to one side, his face completely incredulous that this could really be happening right now.

“You don’t want to give yourself to me?” Castiel’s voice dropped half an octave as he growled, his lip lifting in a snarl of carnal lust, “You want me to  _ take  _ you?”

Dean flushed furiously, nodding without trusting his voice but Castiel was already entirely inside his airspace, shucking his shirt and dropping it as he surged forward, his body slotting behind Dean’s, one hand on the back of Dean’s head and one forearm wrapping around his waist, shoving him roughly forward over the hood of the impala, cool metal against burning flesh shocking as Castiel bent his body over Dean’s, pinning him against the metal and growling in his ear as he fiddled with the supplies in his fist, shoved the head of his cock against Dean’s slippery entrance.

“ _ Beg me for it.” _

Dean was panting, the side of his face pressed against Baby, pushing back against Castiel’s teasing cock desperately, and he groaned in protest, his voice husky and cracking as he tried to find the speech centers in his brain.

“* _ Please*, Cas -  _ “

“I beg your pardon?” Castiel’s voice was stern but amused as he twitched his hips to breach Dean  _ just a little,  _ and Dean cried out, shoving back against him but pinned firmly by Castiel’s hips and suddenly his arm was behind him too, locked in Castiel’s vice grip, pinned just before the pain point and Dean could feel how much this would hurt if he fought but he couldn’t help it, struggling to fuck himself on Castiel’s dick while his brain finally registered his mistake and his breath rushed out in fear -

“ _ Shit, SIR, I’m so-sorry *please* Sir, *PLEASE* fuck me.” _

Castiel’s voice was a full octave lower than usual as he slammed Dean’s body against the car, twisting his arm just a little harder, just enough for danger, and roughly thrust a couple inches of thick cock and no more into Dean’s body, rocking a little to punctuate his words while Dean struggled and gasped underneath him.

“Say my  _ name, _ Dean.  _ Beg  _ me with my  _ name _ on those  _ gorgeous - lips. _ ”

Dean howled in desperation, bucking desperately for more but held fast, and he struggled to make his mouth form words, his struggle increasing as Castiel’s hand trailed up his back, snaked around his neck, and wrapped long fingers around the column of his throat.

“ _ Now,  _ Dean, or you’ll come on a toy instead of my cock.”

“ _ No! Please Castiel!” _

Dean was delirious with need, writhing and panting and struggling despite the searing pain he was causing himself in his arm; fighting to get Castiel’s cock deeper, his hindbrain unable to process that words would get him what he needed, his speech centers offline as he groaned and whimpered and only the note of impatience in Castiel’s voice finally pulled his awareness up enough to understand - 

“Please * _ What*?” _

_ “Ahhh AH - P-Please Castiel please I need your cock please Castiel I need you PLEASE Castiel - Please - Fuck - M- Ah AHHH” _

Dean’s litany of pleading ended on a cry of sheer relief as Castiel released him from the chokehold and dropped his arm to grip both of his hips instead, pinning him in a completely different way as he slammed home in one violent thrust, only his grip on Dean’s hips keeping Dean’s cock from bruising against Baby’s flank as Castiel crushed him against her, reaching around, now, with one slippery hand to capture Dean’s cock and all the way around the base of his balls in the tight circle of his constricting fingers, his other hand sliding up Dean’s spine to grip him by the back of the neck and lean, hard, crushing him against the metal as he growled his next instruction, rocking without thrusting yet, the circle of his fingers tightening as Dean howled and bucked against Castiel’s thighs.

“You will come  _ every _ time I tell you to and at no other time.”

Dean’s garbled noise of protest sounded more like fear of failure than a real complaint, and Castiel’s wolf grin widened as he pulled back most of the way to slam home again, drawing a feral snarl this time from his struggling captive.

“I’ll make it easy for you Dean, I promise. Come whenever you feel like it this time. Starting now.”

Castiel tightened the grip of his fingers holding Dean’s cock prisoner, his other hand coming around now while Dean was distracted and howling to slide the slick circle of his hand slowly up Dean’s cock as he pulled out, to slide his slippery grip down Dean’s cock as he slammed home again, slow and steady, pull and push, while Dean bucked and growled and moaned and finally whimpered in confusion, his tension held captive, trapped behind the prison of Castiel’s fingers.

“Yes, Dean?”

Castiel’s voice was calm, amused, as he slammed his hips into Dean’s ass and Dean cried out in frustration.

“ _ Please -  _ “

“Please -  _ what?” _

“P-please - _hngg - please_ - _let - me -_ _come_ \- “

Castiel’s steady pace did not change, nor did the tight circle of his fingers relax a fraction, his tone stern.

_ “What -  _ did I  _ tell _ you - I  _ want _ \- to  _ hear?” _

“ _ Castiel! _ \-  _ I’m so-sorry _ \-  _ Sir - please - *Castiel* - *please* - let - me - “ _

Castiel’s hand was already releasing Dean’s cock from the tight ring of his fingers, already cupping to catch Dean’s release as he slammed home, his slick hand twisting and sliding as Dean  _ roared  _ his relief, screaming into the crook of his own elbow, his arms over his head now, braced on Baby, bucking and gasping and collapsing onto her hood like a limp dish rag, whimpering as Castiel’s stroking hand stilled and his pace slowed, thrusting one final time to land with solid impact against Dean’s limp  _ everything _ , casually wiping his cupped hand on the towel hanging out of his back pocket before pressing his palm to the small of Dean’s back to shove him roughly against the car. 

“Good. Again.”

Dean moaned, panting against Baby’s hood, a sudden panic rising.

“ _ Baby - protein - “ _

“Dean I am not an animal. I caught your… protein, and I’ll wipe Baby down when we’re done here. I wouldn’t  _ dream _ of defiling your car, I am far more interested in defiling  _ you. Again.” _

Dean moaned, astonished. Castiel’s steady pressure against that sweet spot wasn’t letting his cock reach its usual post-orgasm apathy. He’d never slipped under half hard, and Cas was rocking a little more now, adding lube with the click of a bottle cap from somewhere in his pockets and lengthening his strokes, already breathing life back into Dean’s spent cock. Dean struggled to move and found that he could not, his breath hissing out in surprised heat as he instinctively braced himself against Baby on his elbows for leverage and suddenly found an arm pinned behind his back again; the other one this time. 

“Do you want me to stop?”

Castiel’s delivery was a little  _ too  _ saccharine, the threat that he absolutely  _ would  _ stop if Dean’s answer was not to his liking dripping from every syllable, and Dean panicked for real, the only sound he could make a garbled wail of incoherent protest.

“Well then. I’m getting mixed messages, here, Dean. You  _ don’t  _ want me to stop, but you  _ do  _ want to  _ pretend  _ you want me to stop? Am I reading the situation correctly?”

Dean’s eyes fluttered shut, the rising flush in his face a burning counterpoint to the chill settling into the night air as he nodded, his voice cracking as he whispered, “ _ Yes, Sir. _ ”

Castiel’s smile was so wicked it was a crying shame Dean’s eyes were shut.

“ _ Beg me to hurt you. _ ”

Dean’s shocked gasp lifted the hair on Castiel’s arms and the back of his neck, an electric wave of pleasure rippling over his entire body, breaking through his perfect control for a single, delicious moment, before he tamped it down, hard, to focus his entire attention on the gorgeous man frozen beneath him.

“Just once, then you can struggle to your heart’s content, Dean,” Castiel promised, his voice low and laced with want. “But I need to hear it, and... I think you might need to say it.”

The moment hung between them, Dean’s tension a living thing, coiled between them, and Castiel twisted his arm  _ just  _ a little, just enough to hear Dean’s breath hiss between his teeth as he pulled out slooowly, a reverse game of chicken, releasing Dean’s arm from captivity as he neared full withdrawal, slowing his inexorable exit as Dean sucked in a new breath and his eyes flew open in dismay - 

“Yes, Dean?”

“ _ No! Please!” _

“Last chance, Dean.  _ Tell me _ you want this or I will be nothing but a perfect gentleman for the rest of the evening.”

That got a muffled snort and the tension radiating from Dean grew and changed, not embarrassment anymore, something more electric, Castiel’s skin prickling as he felt it.

“ _ Please hurt me, Sir.”  _

Dean’s eyes were open, his face serene, staring up at Castiel with his head propped on his shoulder so he could twist far enough to see Castiel's face. 

Castiel shuddered, his lips cracking open to huff out a breath, and Dean’s eyes widened with a sudden flash of understanding as he met Castiel’s wild-eyed stare.

“I _want_ you to _hurt_ me _,_ _Castiel. I want you_ to pin me down on this hood and fuck me until I can’t _walk_ , _Castiel_. Twist my _arm_ , _Castiel_. _Break it, Castiel._ Whatever you _want, Castiel - HnGG FUCK AH AHHH -“_

Castiel was already lost, Dean’s body slamming against Baby, hard, as Castiel’s breath tore out of him in a guttural snarl, Dean’s arm twisting behind his back and Castiel’s fingers digging into his hip so hard Dean knew instantly he’d have finger-shaped bruises there, a trivial detail as Castiel’s weight landed on his back and his breath huffed across Dean’s ear like a blowtorch, Castiel’s hips pistoning of their own accord as he grunted and growled and _slammed_ his incoherent pleasure into Dean’s eager body, Dean's desperate wail as Castiel's abandon dragged him over the edge with him _without permission_ the dissonance that finally pulled Castiel back to himself, dazed and disoriented and still twitching with the aftershocks of his pleasure.

"Dean I'm  _ so _ sorry, are you alright?"

Castiel winced at Dean's noise of despair as he softened enough to slip out, grabbing the hand towel out of his back pocket to do the world's fastest uncondoming and pants pulling up so he could lift Dean's limp form from the hood of the car and into his lap, cross-legged on the sand, his back against Baby's tire.

" _ Impala.  _ Dean, I'm so sorry, talk to me, did I hurt you?"

Castiel's voice held a rising note of panic, and Dean's eyes fluttered open, rimmed in red, his face an agony of apology.

"I came. I'm  _ sorry, Sir - " _

"Dean it's my fault, I lost control, I am  _ So. Sorry _ ."

They stared at each other in shocked discovery for a moment, finally beginning to speak in accidental unison.

"You're not mad?"

"You brought me to orgasm with words alone."

Dean's mouth fell open in surprise, a spectacularly  _ smug  _ smile lighting up his face as Castiel shook his head ruefully, gazing softly at the man cradled in his arms.

"I mean, you  _ were  _ full on fucking me -"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Dean beamed up at Castiel as Castiel continued quietly. 

"Of course I'm not mad. Mad  _ about  _ you, and astonished, and maybe a little wary of the spell you have me under. But I am not angry, Dean. I am ashamed."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Because you were under my care, and I lost control of myself and of the situation."

Castiel looked like he could cry, and Dean reached his least slick hand up to caress Castiel's face, his smirk so, ridiculously,  _ smug _ Castiel harrumphed a little to see it.

"It's okay, Cas. You can't help yourself if I'm irresistible."

Castiel scowled at Dean's face-splitting grin.

"I seem to have instructed you to say things I apparently could not handle hearing. A weakness, perhaps, on my part."

"Cas it's a _good_ thing I drive you wild, isn't it? It _feels_ like a good thing…"

"Perhaps a ball gag - "

"HEY!"

Castiel smiled, finally, his face lighting up with such affection Dean’s playfully affronted face melted into a similar smile, watching Castiel’s mouth as he bent to whisper, in case the sky should not hear the secrets whispered between lovers.

“ _ You stole my reason with - with what you said. I have never been so aroused, not ever.” _

Dean’s smile was utterly radiant as he craned his neck up to whisper his answer.

“That was  _ so. Hot. Cas. You don’t even know. _ ” 

Dean snorted as the thought occurred to him and he added softly, “I guess I  _ can  _ make you feel stuff with my ‘poetry.’”

Castiel snorted in reply, his face lighting up in pleased agreement.

“Truly.”

“I was kidding - “

“I was not. I was  _ very  _ moved by your composition - “

“Come on, don’t be mean.” 

Dean looked a little hurt, but Castiel stroked his face with gentle knuckles, the back of his hand only a little slippery.

“I’m completely serious, Dean. You  _ laid waste  _ to my self-control. I was rendered a brute, overwhelmed by my base animal instincts -”

“And  _ FUCK  _ was that ever hot.”

Dean struggled to sit up a little straighter, licking flames of gently rekindling arousal reminding him of something pressing.

“ _ SHIT! Baby!” _

Castiel helped Dean stand up, accepted a hand up himself, to root around in his black back once more and pull out a brand new box of wet wipes.

“Here. Get cleaned up as best you can - sorry about that - and I’ll get Baby.”

“Okay.”

Dean went to work as well as he could without running water, retrieving his shirt to shake it free of sand and pull it on, the layer welcome in the cool air.

“Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?”

Castiel looked up from his third pass wiping Baby down, this time with a soft cloth and water from an oversized bottle, and he handed the rest of the bottle over to Dean at his look of longing for Dean to suck it down in three long gulps, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“I brought a couple blankets. Do you want to climb up there?” 

Dean pointed at the dirt trail heading up one of the jagged outcroppings, lined with white stones gleaming in the moonlight, his voice kind of... shy. 

“Bring the cooler, and the rest of the pizza, and - ‘“

“Yes.”

“I didn’t even finish - “

“I will go anywhere with you.”

Dean fell silent, staring at Castiel, his eyes full of stars.

“I - I - Cas, I - “ 

The words wouldn’t come, and Dean shook his head in frustration. 

“You make me happy, Cas,” he tried, smiling with success as those words came with ease, and Castiel beamed at him, his eyes soft.

“I love you too, Dean.” 

Dean’s breath caught and he leaned in for a kiss, but Castiel pulled his head away, his lips pursed.

“What?”

“I will  _ not _ kiss you wearing only a shirt and nothing else. Any other combination, Dean, but  _ not  _ that one.”

Dean snickered, a slow smile spreading across his features as he searched for and located his boxers to shake them off and pull them on, grinning.

“You don’t like me shirtcocking?”

“ _ Oh Dear Jesus,  _ is that a real word?”

“Dunno. It is now.”

Dean beamed in sweet success, leaning in to Castiel to collect his kiss, now that he was appropriately attired. Which turned out to be chaste and toothy, given that Castiel’s lips were spread in a huge smile.

“Come on. I’ll kiss you properly under the stars,” Castiel murmured, holding out his arms to carry anything, and Dean nodded as he reached into the back seat to load Castiel down with blankets.

Some things were worth doing right.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


Castiel stilled his fingers from stroking slowly across Dean’s scalp as Dean’s breathing evened out, his breaths lengthening and slowing as he slipped away from Castiel into slumber. Castiel craned his neck up to kiss the top of Dean’s head with soft lips, nestling his head back into the crook of his elbow to stare at the sky, and letting his hand relax on Dean’s hair, Dean’s face nestled into his bare chest and his breath tickling the hair there as he started to snore a little.

They’d eaten the leftover pizza. Or, technically, Dean had eaten the leftover pizza and Castiel had had a couple bites. Castiel had agreed to one beer at Dean’s insistence, then they’d both sucked down plenty of water at Castiel’s insistence, and then Castiel had kissed Dean breathless, made love to him for what felt like hours, until both of their lips were sore from scraping across each other’s stubble and Castiel could no longer coax even a hint of an erection from Dean’s spent body, not with any of his tricks of gentle lips or soft tongue or nimble fingers, and he’d admitted defeat at last and collapsed on his back beside Dean, laughing with sheer joy as Dean groaned his relief and snaked his hand into Castiel’s to stare at the glittering sky.

No words had passed between them in hours. They hadn’t needed any. The chill had crept from the air into their bones and Dean had curled against Castiel’s side, laid his head on Castiel’s chest, pulling the blanket over them both, and Castiel had stroked his hair and ignored the pebble sticking into his back with twice as much weight on his chest now; admired the way the stars on the horizon dared to kiss Dean’s eyelashes as they slipped closed. 

As Dean’s breathing lengthened into sleep Castiel studied the angles of his face, the curve of his lips, bruised pink from their evening, and he compared the constellations of freckles on Dean’s face to those in the heavens, tears springing to his eyes and a soft sigh to his lips as he confirmed by careful scrutiny that there were none more beautiful in all the vast array above them. 

Dean stirred at Castiel’s sigh, breathing, “Is it time?” but Castiel shushed him, whispering, “not yet,” just to feel Dean melt against him again, to feel his breath tickle across his chest and to feel Dean’s heart beating against his side, his last thought before sleep took him to marvel that the ever present ache that used to live in his chest - the one that sometimes intensified into agony when he would see couples holding hands or whispering secrets - was  _ gone _ \- had been gone for a while now, he just hadn’t noticed until now - and that maybe, just maybe, this happiness he was feeling right now could be meant for him, too, after all.

  
  


***

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter takes place here. There's a gorgeous 360 walkaround. <3
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/place/Humboldt+State+Wildlife+Management+Area,+Lovelock,+NV+89419/@39.9877445,-118.6651808,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80a2069117f386ab:0x22140e0757915427!8m2!3d39.9915878!4d-118.6031402
> 
> Also there is a missing illustration:
> 
> [Figure one: A 3/4 view of two men under a blanket in the desert at the first light of dawn, one with blue eyes open wide and a startled expression staring at the blanket, the other just awakening, his arms still wrapped around the second, his eyes fixed on the blanket as well, where a small scorpion sits poised on someone's knee, his pinchers waving as if to say a friendly hello.]
> 
> I commissioned this, and I was going to link to the results, but I've decided the childlike quality of the illustration detracts from the feeling I want this chapter to leave you with. Trust me. :-D <3


End file.
